Revelation 3:7 – “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia.

This is the message from the one who is holy and true,
the one who has the key of David.
What he opens, no one can close;
and what he closes, no one can open:

8 “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. 9 Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.
10 “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. 12 All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.
13 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.” (NLT)

Today’s passage is Jesus’ letter to the church in Philadelphia.  Philadelphia was founded as a center for Greek culture, sort of a governmental mission to that part of the world.  It had various schools and many artists. The same earthquake that destroyed Sardis destroyed Philadelphia in 17 AD.  Strong aftershocks, however, continued to rock the city for years, and many of its inhabitants left the city for the surrounding countryside.  The result was a city in ruins whose remaining inhabitants lived in fear. 

Like Sardis, there really isn’t much in the way of accusations against the church.  The key to this passage is found in verse eight: “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.”  Because of the trying times in their city, they had little strength.  It is important to note that Jesus recognizes their weakness, and the reasons for their weakness.  Jesus does not, however, abandon them in their weakness.  Jesus tells them that he has opened a door for them.  What could this mean? 

There are several theories as to what exactly this could have meant, but one thing is for sure, it meant an opportunity.  Perhaps it was an opportunity to reach out to the shell shocked citizens of Philadelphia with something more than brotherly love.  Maybe it meant they could reach out with the unconditional love of Jesus.  It may have been an opportunity for the Christians in Philadelphia to draw closer to Jesus, for we know that in John 10:9, Jesus says that he himself is the door.

The Spiritual lesson for us from this passage is that even when all around us seems tragic and dark, Jesus is there for us.  Jesus will not abandon us in our time of need. Today, regardless of what takes place in our lives, let us never grow discouraged.  Instead, let us be confident in the one who is always with us! 

Posted by Ramón Torres